Hollywood Legend Betty White Death Updates: Betty White’s cause of death and how she died three weeks before her 100th birthday have piqued fans’ interest since her passing.
Betty Marion White, White’s full name, was born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois. Christine Tess, a homemaker, and Horace Logan White, a lighting industry executive, were her parents. White’s family relocated from Illinois to Alhambra, California, when she was a year old, and then to Los Angeles, where she had her first taste of acting after writing and performing in her high school graduation play. After graduating from high school, White worked as a model and landed her first professional acting role at the Beverly Hills’ Bliss Hayden Little Theatre.
She went on to work on the radio and have her own radio show, The Betty White Show, before her television debut in 1949 on the variety show, Hollywood on Television.
How did Betty White die?
Betty White died from a stroke suffered on Dec. 25, 2021, six days before her Dec. 31 death at age 99, according to her death certificate, the Associated Press reports.
The LA County death certificate lists cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for a stroke, as her cause of death.
When the news first broke of her death, the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted that its preliminary investigation reveals a “natural cause of death, and there is no evidence of foul play.”
On 12/31/21 at around 9:30 a.m., LAPD West LA Division responded to a death investigation call of a female adult at the 500 block of North Carmelina Avenue in Brentwood. Preliminary investigation reveals, natural cause of death, and there is no evidence of foul play.
— LAPD PIO (@LAPDPIO) December 31, 2021
Her longtime agent Jeff Witjas confirmed to ABC News that she died of natural causes.
“She died in her sleep, in her own bed. It’s as simple as that,” Witjas told ABC News.
Where did Betty White die?
Betty White died in her home on North Carmelina Avenue in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Did Betty White die after getting COVID vaccine booster?
No! “I can absolutely, 100 percent say, Betty did not pass because of the booster, she did not pass because of COVID, she never had COVID,” her agent Jeff Witjas told ET. “Betty was a healthy, healthy lady and for those who are trying to start a political conversation about vaccines with Betty White, don’t. It’s not true. Betty never had the booster.”
The Associated Press debunked the fake vaccine quote (below) that was widely shared on social media following her death on Dec. 31, 2021.
“‘Eat healthy and get all your vaccines. I just got boosted today.’ – Betty White, Dec. 28th, 2021
How old was Betty White when she died?
Ironically, Betty White had been making recent headlines even before her death. That was because she had been preparing to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17, 2022. Unfortunately, she passed just a few weeks before the big day at 99.
In fact, a movie has been created in honor of the big would-be centennial mark for White. Betty White: 100 Years Young will feature White, as well as a star-studded cast including Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, and Jimmy Kimmel. The movie was planned to arrive in 900 select theaters on Jan. 17. Shortly after her death, producers announced that the movie event will go on as planned.
“We will go forward with our plans to show the film on January 17 in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life—and experience what made her such a national treasure,” film producers Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein said in a statement to CNN.
Did Betty White have a husband?
“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday.
“I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”
Indeed, White had been married three times in 1945, 1947 and 1963. Ludden was her last and longest-lasting spouse, as they were married until his death in 1981.
Did Betty White have children?
Though White and Ludden had no children together, she had three stepchildren from Ludden’s previous marriage. And as Witjas mentioned in his statement, she was known as a firm animal lover. She leaves behind decades of work with the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, The Morris Animal Foundation, African Wildlife Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals.
What is Betty White famous for?
Betty White’s career started at 8 years old back in the 1930s. In the decades following, she made a name for herself as a staple on game shows, as well as Emmy-winning guest appearances on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, she is most well known for her role as naive Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, which ran for seven seasons and netted her yet another Emmy.
After keeping busy with guest appearances on various television shows, Betty White experienced a bit of a renaissance in the 2000s and 2010s. Her scene-stealing performance in The Proposal led to a petition to get her to host Saturday Night Live. The petition was successful, making White the oldest host in the show’s history at 88. She then returned to sitcoms on TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland, as well as launched her own clothing line and calendar. She even received a PBS documentary about her in 2018 entitled Betty White: First Lady of Television.
